"We'll meet at the village gate at nine," Tsunade said after they left the Hokage's office.
At nine o'clock, Haneul arrived to see eight Anbu lined up neatly. They stood together, exuding a "do not approach" aura. The two gate guards were terrified.
"Master. Uncle Sakumo," he greeted.
"Let's go," Tsunade said, a little stressed. "Let's hurry." The journey to the Land of Demons would take five or six days on foot.
"To save time, we'll pass through the Land of Rain to get to the Land of Wind, and then to the Land of Demons," Tsunade explained as they ran.
"Will we alert Hanzo by passing through the Land of Rain?" Sakumo asked. "Our relationship with him has never been good."
"No," she shook her head. "He's busy cleaning up opposition forces in his own country. He won't risk offending us."
Haneul's interest was piqued. The opposition force at this time could only be the Akatsuki, founded by Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan.
They entered the Land of Rain, and the weather changed abruptly. A torrential downpour began. "We'll rest when we reach the Land of Wind," Tsunade shouted over the rain.
By nightfall, they had finally reached the edge of the Land of Wind. Haneul set up two tents, and Sakumo went to find some food. Soon, the three of them were sitting around a campfire, grilling fish.
"You even brought seasoning?" Sakumo asked, surprised.
"I'm a chef. It's perfectly reasonable, right?" Haneul countered with a smile.
"Indeed, it is," Sakumo nodded.
"Haneul, I have a question," Sakumo said as they ate. "Why don't you graduate early?"
"I'm not strong enough," Haneul replied.
"You're just as modest as Kakashi says," Sakumo couldn't help but laugh.
"So, you plan to graduate at the normal time?"
"Not necessarily," Haneul shook his head. "I might graduate next year." He knew from the original story that due to the war, Kurenai and Asuma's class had graduated in their fifth year.
"I have to thank you, actually," Sakumo changed the subject. "Graduating too early is not necessarily a good thing."
They finished their meal. "It would be nice to have a cup of hot tea right now," Sakumo sighed.
"I have some here," Haneul said, blinking.
"How do you have everything?" Sakumo was flabbergasted.
"I'm a chef..."
"I know," Sakumo cut him off with a serious look. "Perfectly reasonable."
Haneul couldn't help but smile. Though the world knew the "White Fang of the Leaf" as a ruthless man, Sakumo was actually a quintessential follower of the Will of Fire.
"You two drink. I'm going for a walk," Tsunade said, getting up.
"Master, no sneaking off to drink," Haneul reminded her.
"You're so annoying!" she glared at him and left.
"Your teacher-student dynamic is really interesting," Sakumo said with a hint of envy after she was gone.
"Uncle Sakumo, why didn't you become a squad leader?" Haneul asked as he prepared the tea.
"The missions I take are too difficult. It would be hard for a genin to survive. I can't be responsible for their deaths," he explained.
The aroma of tea filled the air. "Good tea!" Sakumo exclaimed.
"It was stolen by Asuma," Haneul said with a mysterious smile.
"You... you mean this is Lord Hokage's tea?" Sakumo started coughing violently.
"Most likely," Haneul nodded.
"Amazing," Sakumo praised, then said without ceremony, "Another cup."
"Uncle Sakumo," Haneul said, pouring him another cup. "I have a question, but I don't know if I should ask."
"Go ahead and ask," Sakumo said, taking a sip.
"Do you want to be Hokage?" Haneul asked directly.
Sakumo was choked by the tea again. He collected himself and asked, "Did your master ask you to ask me that?"
"No," Haneul said honestly. "My master isn't interested in being Hokage for now. I was just personally curious."
"It was my dream when I was young," Sakumo sighed. "But after I grew up, I realized I'm not suited for it." Especially after his mission failure last year, he had seen the situation clearly. He was good at missions, but not at dealing with the matters outside of them. "If your master wants to run, I can support her," he said, repaying the favor.
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